


Gravøllet

by Ulfrsmal



Series: March Musical Madness Masterpieces [56]
Category: The Last Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Beer, Grieving, M/M, March Musical Madness (The Last Kingdom), Mead, Mentions of Death, brief mentions of religious conflict
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-27 08:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30119799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ulfrsmal/pseuds/Ulfrsmal
Summary: Ragnar has just passed away, leaving Uhtred feeling empty and lost for what feels like the first time in his life. Finan and Sihtric keep themselves close to him.
Relationships: Finan/Sihtric/Uhtred of Bebbanburg
Series: March Musical Madness Masterpieces [56]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2185899
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Gravøllet

**Author's Note:**

> The title is [a song by Svartsot](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHQUup2LKHM). It’s Danish, and VERY difficult to translate into English. The general meaning is “the beer drunk at the feast held after a funeral”. “Gravøl” refers to both the feast held after a funeral and to the beer drunk in it.
> 
> The words not in English are translated in the End Notes.

The fire at the centre of the feast-area outdoors rages on, higher and higher as people kept throwing fresh logs into its depths. This is a celebration of past glories, a suitable welcome for a new member of the _Enhärjar_ into _Valhöll_. They all know that. It is not a sad moment, but merely one of transit, one that’s supposed to feel bittersweet at most. And yet, Finan realises as he looks around, there are more tears than smiles in the _Vikingar_ and _Berserkir_ around him. It makes sense, really; Ragnar was well-loved. _Is_ well-loved. Dead or alive, the adoration that his forces and his family have for him simply will not die.

In a way, it reminds Finan of the adoration he himself has for Uhtred and Sihtric. His two Heathens will join Ragnar in Odin’s Great Hall one day; whereas he will be left behind, or carried off to Heaven to never see either of them again. The thought wounds him more than the simple reality of their death ever could. His heart demands he looks at Uhtred right this very second.

He catches sight of his Lord on the other side of the fires, right across the main feast’s area. Sihtric is already by his side, because this roguish love of theirs detects their moods even before they themselves do. Finan loves him even more for these details, since they show just how much Sihtric cares about them, and how attuned he is to both Uhtred’s and Finan’s needs and emotions. It would even feel overwhelming, had it not been for the fact that Finan and Uhtred both are there for him whenever he needs them to. Tonight, though, their focus should remain on their Lord.

When Finan moves closer to them, using whatever of his agility hasn’t yet been inebriated to slither past the grieving feasters, he notices Uhtred’s shoulders shaking. He’s crying. He probably has been for a long time now. Finan cannot remember having seen much of Uhtred until now; which makes sense too, considering how close he and Ragnar had been. Finan reaches out to try and wipe Uhtred’s tears away with a gentle fingertip, but Sihtric catches his wrist and brings his hand to his own face instead. He kisses Finan’s knuckles and gives him a look at the same time; and, if the circumstances were different, Finan would just grab their boy close to properly love him. Tonight, however, all those thoughts seem disrespectful to Ragnar _and_ to Uhtred. And so, Finan refrains himself.

“We’re here.” He says to Uhtred, his voice low and grave like it only really gets when he’s inside a Christian temple. Respect and maybe even the feeling of being smaller than the room around him; that’s how Sihtric had once put it out loud, trying to understand Finan better. Uhtred had smiled then, and he smiles now too. “Lord, we’re here.”

Uhtred tries to speak, but the only thing that comes out is a choked-out sound. He tries to hide it, because of _course_ he does; sometimes Finan thinks he’s made of only pride and insinuation. Tonight, though, Uhtred is grieving. It is a side of him that Sihtric and Finan have not seen in him before. They are probably ill-equipped to deal with it, or to console Uhtred. Death is simply too present in their day-to-day lives. Sihtric has lost his mother, yes, but he went through it completely alone, with no feast and no grave-beer to drink in her honour. And Finan…

“Is this a custom in Ireland, too?” Sihtric asks him, to keep a conversation going, probably just so Uhtred cannot drown too deeply into his own sorrow. Finan reacts slowly because he’s busy giving his silent praise to their attentive rogue. Sihtric uses his pause to encircle Uhtred’s waist with one arm, swaying himself closer at the same time, until Uhtred’s hip is flush with Sihtric’s. “This feast and grave-beer?”

“No, it’s not.” Finan answers truthfully, for there is no need to hide this fact from either of his loves. He moves to Uhtred’s other side, putting an arm around his shoulders. To any outsiders, the gesture might just look like the sweet comfort of his shield-wall-neighbour; but they all know that, in truth, it is that and so much more.

He launches into a brief explanation of the Irish custom, which he saw performed only once in his entire lifetime there, when his mother’s dear father had passed away in his sleep. Uhtred had trembled at that, concerned for someone he didn’t know just because he’d died without a sword.

Just because they were Finan’s family, and Uhtred cares for him.

Someone comes up to them then, offering them three cups filled with grave-beer. The main event is about to commence. Uhtred chooses one first; then Finan takes his pick, which leaves Sihtric with no choice but to claim the remaining cup for himself. He doesn’t seem to mind it much; his gaze is firmly on Uhtred’s face. Tears haven’t stopped falling from those beautiful eyes of his, or at least as far as Finan can see in the low light provided by the glowing embers of the fires. He wonders why he hadn’t been allowed to wipe them off Uhtred’s handsome face. Perhaps it’s part of the ritual itself, to not hide one’s sorrow, but to simply share it with the rest of the community who’d loved the dearly departed. It is foreign to Finan, but he can appreciate the sentiment all the same.

When they raise their cups high into the air, all attention should be on the central fires; and yet Finan catches himself looking at Uhtred. At his other side, Sihtric is looking at their grieving love, too. Uhtred’s gaze goes from Sihtric to Finan before he drinks; they both imitate him a second after, sharing a secret look and an even secreter smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Enhärjar (“army of one”, “those who fight alone”) is the Swedish name for those who have died in battle and been brought to Valhalla.
> 
> Valhöll is the Old Norse name for Valhalla.
> 
> Vikingr (plural: Vikingar) means “Warrior” in Old Norse.
> 
> Bersekr (plural form “Berserkir”) is the Old Norse word for warriors who fight in a trance-like fury (some sources claim they were intoxicated with mushrooms while fighting). English spells it as “berserker”.


End file.
